College football is back – sort of. Spring football is the imitation crab meat of college football, but it’s better than the alternative: no football at all.

Two months after Alabama beat Georgia for the national championship, teams from across the Football Bowl Subdivision are reconvening on practice fields and inside cold-weather bubbles to begin preparations for the 2018 season.

USA TODAY Sports’ overview of what to expect this spring from the five major conferences begins with the Atlantic Coast Conference, led by a powerhouse in Clemson and several blue bloods looking to either take the next step or simply return to the national stage. Here’s are a handful of story lines to consider across the two divisions:

Boston College

Is this the biggest threat to Clemson in the Atlantic Division? The Eagles aren’t shying away from embracing those expectations. Even without all-conference defensive end Harold Landry, the defense is strongest along the line. The same is true on the offensive side. What Boston College needs is improved quarterback play, and the team will be without projected starter Anthony Brown this spring while he recovers from last year’s knee injury.

Clemson

Is Kelly Bryant the starter? It’s not so simple. While Bryant led Clemson to the College Football Playoff as Deshaun Watson’s replacement, the Tigers have options under center – Bryant, sophomore Hunter Johnson and incoming freshman Trevor Lawrence, the nation’s top recruit. Bryant’s leadership and experience can’t be overlooked, but he’ll again need to prove this spring that the job is his.

Florida State

Can Willie Taggart be an immediate success? Taggart arrives at the right time for a program fresh off the most disappointing season of the post-Bowden era. You’d expect another few wins on last year’s total, but consider this: Taggart’s history at Western Kentucky and South Florida suggests that it might take time to reverse the Seminoles’ trajectory. Then again, Taggart’s never had a roster this talented. One player he won’t have this spring is quarterback Deondre Francois, who won’t be cleared to fully participate as he recovers from the knee injury suffered in last season’s opening loss to Alabama.

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Miami (Fla.)

Ready for a national title? Maybe. Maybe not. The Hurricanes’ growth in Mark Richt’s second season has the program on that sort of trajectory. But beware: The next step – from competing for an ACC title to doing the same for the national title – is the hardest. Miami’s continued growth is one of the big themes throughout the entire conference. On a smaller scale, it will be interesting to see how Richt handles his quarterback position this spring. While he said last month that Malik Rosier is the “starting quarterback, for sure,” Richt and the staff will evaluate redshirt freshman N'Kosi Perry.

North Carolina State

How good is this offense? Yeah, the Wolfpack lost some star power on defense, notably among the front four – that group, paced by All-America end Bradley Chubb, was decimated by graduation. But the offense has the tools to pick up the slack. Senior quarterback Ryan Finley will be one of the nation’s best. Three starters are back up front. Another three experienced options dot the depth chart at receiver, and offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz has a running back ready to step into the starting role in senior Reggie Gallaspy.

North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley drops back to throw the ball against
Arizona State during the 2017 Sun Bowl.(Photo: Ivan Pierre Aguirre, USA TODAY Sports)

Syracuse

Is the offense ready now? Dino Babers’ offenses at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green took off in his second seasons in charge. Not so much at Syracuse, partly due to injuries at quarterback. But the offense needs to explode in 2018 to lift the Orange out of the cellar in the Atlantic Division. Babers’ track record is reason for some optimism.

Virginia

Three wins to six wins to … what? Virginia wasn’t necessarily good in 2017, only significantly better than it was in Bronco Mendenhall’s debut. Getting into bowl play was still a big step forward for the program. To add another win or two to last year’s total means finding a replacement for quarterback Kurt Benkert, with former junior-college transfer Bryce Perkins looking to cement the starting job with a strong spring.

Virginia Tech

Is this a complete team? This may be the year that Tech’s offense takes off, though that depends largely on the strides sophomore quarterback Josh Jackson makes in his second year as the starter. There are bigger question marks on defense, especially in the back seven – six starters must be replaced, including one of the nation’s best linebackers in would-be senior Tremaine Edmunds. Not that defensive coordinator Bud Foster hasn’t helped the Hokies reload before.

No. 3 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes will lose a number of major players to the NFL, but the inherent talent base will keep Urban Meyer and his team among the nation’s elite.
(Running back J.K. Dobbins) Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports

No. 8 Washington.
Chris Petersen’s track record should have the Huskies optimistic about their chances to improve on a 10-win finish in 2017 and carry the flag for the Pac-12 Conference.
(Coach Chris Petersen) Mark J. Rebilas,USA TODAY Sports

No. 10 Michigan State.Michigan State’s bounce-back 2017 season paints a bright picture for 2018, with an offense built around quarterback Brian Lewerke and a defense that returns the wide majority of this year’s main contributors.(Linebacker Joe Bachie) Mike Carter, Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

No. 12 Stanford.
Hopes do hinge on Bryce Love’s decision regarding the NFL, but the Cardinal will get better play at quarterback and bring back each of their four leading receivers.
(Offensive lineman Walker Little) Jake Roth, USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 Auburn.
An issue is the Tigers’ schedule, which includes first-half dates with Washington, LSU and Mississippi State, and road games in November against Georgia and Alabama.
(Quarterback Jarrett Stidham) Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports

No. 15 Notre Dame.
There is experience back at key spots, including quarterback, and the schedule is on paper one of the friendliest in recent program history.
(Quarterback Brandon Wimbush) Sergio Estrada, Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

No. 16 Michigan.
2018 could be the year to crack the upper echelon, especially given the Wolverines’ defense, but that’s only half the battle. Can Harbaugh find a quarterback?
(Defensive lineman Rashan Gary) Brad Mills, USA TODAY Sports

No. 19 LSU
This is a top-10 team in pure talent, as is always the case. Whether this current coaching staff can get the Tigers into that class remains up for debate.
(Running back Derrius Guice) Matt Stamey, USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 Kansas State
It will be a pretty typical bunch of Wildcats: physical on offense, explosive in the running game, underrated in the front seven and opportunistic on special teams.
(Coach Bill Snyder) Casey Sapio, Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

No. 21 Florida Atlantic.
The offense will have taken even firmer hold and the defense will get a nice influx of talent to keep the Owls at the top of Conference USA.
(Quarterback Jason Driskel) Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys are not a dark-horse Playoff contender but definitely are a threat to take eight or nine games during the regular season. It won’t always be a smooth ride, however.
(Running back Justice Hill) Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Iowa State.
After breaking through in a big way this past fall, coach Matt Campbell has Iowa State destined to become an even bigger thorn in the sides of the established programs in the Big 12.
(Tight end Chase Allen) Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports